Lost and Found
by IDreamInWords
Summary: When dreams and realities mesh together, can you tell what is lost and what is found?
1. Lost

_**Disclaimer:** I have temporarily lost my claim to Kanata and Miyu, but not to worry, I am sure I'll find it back! ^o^_

_*Is sent to an asylum* ... ToT_

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_**Lost**_

Kanata opened his eyes as the sky grew light outside. The house was strangely quiet and he marveled at it. Where was the usual chaos of school day mornings? Tendrils of sleep still clutched at the edges of his consciousness, and he took his time letting go. What had been that dream he had been having? He couldn't quite remember, but it felt strangely haunting…

Deciding that they would both be late to school if he didn't get up right now and wake up the stupid klutz next door, he stretched his arms out above him and finally got up with a sigh. He padded to the bathroom, wondering where Ruu had gotten to. Usually the little squirt would be up and raising hell by now. Stuffing his toothpaste in his mouth, he walked back down the hall. Delicious smells of cooking wafted through the air and Kanata perked up at the thought of Wanya's breakfast.

Reaching Miyu's room, he knocked on the rice-paper sliding door. "Miyu," he grunted around a mouthful of toothpaste, "wake up, or we'll be late."

There was no response, as usual.

Kanata sighed. "I'm coming in," he warned the probably sound asleep idiot on the other side, before pushing open the door. He took one step and abruptly halted. Wha…?

Miyu wasn't in her room. And, not only that, but the room was bare. As in, nothing was in there… Where was her futon? Her bag? Her books? Her desk? And her uniform that usually hung on… Where was the hanger?

Completely baffled, Kanata backed out of the room, trying very hard to conciliate the empty room with his memories. Was she supposed to be away on a trip? Where did she go? When did she go? Why didn't he remember?

Wheeling around, he thundered towards the kitchen, intent on getting some answers. "Wanya, Wanya, have you seen Mi—"

"Kanata?"

Kanata froze as the woman in the kitchen turned around, a ladle gripped in her hand. A stray lock of rich auburn hair fell over her face and she brushed it away. Her warm eyes sparkled as she looked at him happily. "Oh, you're up! I was just coming to wake you. Good morning!"

His eyes widened as he watched the woman, looking at him with a smile as though she had never left. What… how… dream… was this… real?

"Kanata?" she asked, worried, as he continued to stare at her.

"M-Mom?"

"Yes, Kanata, are you okay?"

Mom? She was _here?_ She was _alive?_ No… what… Slowly, Kanata stepped towards her, bringing up his arm as he came closer. He reached out to touch her, flinching when his hand didn't just pass through her.

Hitomi Saionji stared worriedly at her son. Why was he staring at her disbelievingly? "Kanata, are you alright?" she asked.

Kanata stared dazedly at where his fingers rested on her apron. He could touch her. _He could touch her._ How did… Abruptly, he pulled back his hand. His gaze darted to her face and an odd, almost panicked, look crossed his face.

Hitomi frowned. Did he have a fever? She reached out, trying to touch his forehead, her fingers extending and—

Kanata jerked back as if slapped. His mother gasped. Belatedly, realization of what he just did settled in and he staggered back, looking immensely guilty. "Where's… where's Dad?" he asked breathlessly.

"…In the temple," his mother answered, slowly.

He cast one last wide-eyed look at her, before he whipped around and fled.

Hitomi stared at where her son had stood just a moment ago, worry gnawing at her heart.

Kanata found his father kneeling in front of the mokugyo inside the temple. The old man was busily beating on the mokugyo and chanting to its rhythm with one hand held in front of his face. When did he return from India? Kanata could not remember.

"Dad," Kanata called hoarsely, not caring that he was interrupting sacred morning rituals, "DAD!"

Hosho Saionji paused and turned to look behind him in surprise. "Kanata? What are you doing, son? I am in the middle of—"

"_Forget the prayers!_ Mom… Mom is here," he breathed, "in the kitchen." He looked desperately at his father, confused and unsure.

Hosho looked back at him, looking equally baffled. "What do you mean?"

Exasperated, Kanata grabbed his father by the lapels of his robes and shook him. "_Is that all you've got to say? Mom is here! Mom is back! Mom is ALIVE! What is going ON, old man?_"

His father looked at him, uncomprehending. "What are you talking about, Kanata? Why-why wouldn't she be here? Where else would she be? And what do you mean, alive?"

Numbly, Kanata loosened his hold on his father. "D-didn't she d-die?"

Hosho stared at his son, horrified. "NO! No! No… How could you… Kanata, what is wrong, son?"

Kanata didn't believe him. His mother was supposed to be dead. He had accepted it by now. It didn't even hurt him anymore when he remembered her, or thought about her. He had made peace with the fact that she was no more with him, but that she would always be in his heart. His dad was supposed to be in India. He wasn't supposed to be back for another year. But he was here, acting like he never went away. And _she_ was here, acting like she never left either. And where was Miyu? Ruu? Wanya?

Narrowing his eyes suddenly, he asked his father sharply, "Where is Miyu?"

"Miyu?" his father repeated, unhelpfully.

"Yes, Miyu. Where is she? She isn't in her room. Her things are gone too, her futon, her clothes, bag, everything. Where is she?"

Hosho Saionji stared at his son with apprehension. "I," he hesitated, unsure of what to make of Kanata's sudden strange behavior, "I have no idea who you're talking about, Kanata. Who is Miyu?"

Kanata reeled back in shock. What? The old man, he was saying he didn't _know?_ "Miyu!" he screamed in exasperation, "Miyu Kozuki! I am talking about the girl who has been living with me for the last one year! _Where is she?_"

Bewildered beyond all means, Hosho shook his head, at an utter loss about the situation now. "No one has been living with us, son. Just you, me and your mother."

"NO!" Kanata yelled, "You're LYING!" It couldn't be. He was lying, _she_ was lying! They were both lying. Miyu had been living with him for the last whole year. And Wanya. And Ruu.

Hosho stood up slowly, his eyebrows drawing together in mounting alarm as he tried to reach out and hold his panicking son. Kanata shot away from him, backing up furiously. "NO! Stay away from me!" He was breathing heavily now, and his blood was pounding madly in his ears. "Her parents," he abruptly said, "Miki and Yuu Kozuki. Do you know them?"

Hosho slowly shook his head in the negative.

"They are astronauts," Kanata blurted, "They are famous. They went to NASA. They were on TV. They left their daughter with us, with me. You are best friends with them. Mom was best friends with them. What happened to them?"

"I… don't know any Kozuki. I have never heard of them. I… don't think there are any Japanese astronauts called Kozuki who joined NASA." The old man paused for a moment, trying to make his voice sound calm and unthreatening. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hitomi cautiously approach the foot of the staircase to the temple, where she stood hesitantly, not daring to climb. "Son," he tried again, "why don't we go inside? I am sure you can tell us about what is wrong." He slowly tried to inch closer to the distraught teen, taking one step at a time, "We will help you look for these Kozukis, if you want. Let's go inside. You're making your mother worry too…"

But bringing up his mother had been the worst thing to do. Kanata growled as he shoved his approaching father with all his strength. The old man stumbled back and fell, clattering on the mokugyo. The frantic teen wheeled around and dashed down the stairs blindly. His mother stood at the bottom, her eyes frightened. She cried out and tried to stop him. Nimbly, he dodged her open arms and made a mad dash towards the exit. Thundering down the long main stairwell, Kanata didn't stop to look back as he took off, running harder than he ever had, trying to escape the strange nightmare that his home had become.

Nightmare, that's right. That's what this must be. A nightmare, a dream, just a dream. And it would be gone when he woke up, and they would all be there – Miyu and Ruu and Wanya. And his father would be in India, and his mother would be watching over them silently.

His feet pounded on the pavement, as he ran without any purpose. What was he doing? He didn't know. Where was he going? He didn't know. He needed to look for Miyu, for Ruu and for Wanya, and that was all he knew.

He should go to school. They would know. He should ask his friends, she might have told them where she was going. Or the principal would know.

He had never ran to school so fast in his life. The bell rang just as he made it through the gates. He leaped up the stairs, three at a time, and slammed open the door to class 2-1.

Mizuno-sensei stopped in the middle of roll call and turned to frown at him. "You're late, Saionji-kun. I'll forgive you this time, only because this is your first time, but don't do it again."

Kanata was past caring. "Miyu," he demanded harshly, "where is Miyu?"

"Miyu? Whom are you talking about?"

Kanata ignored the teacher and raked his eyes over the students, who were staring at him transfixed, stunned by his disheveled appearance and furious eyes. His gaze landed on Nanami, and she looked back at him apprehensively. Ignoring Mizuno-sensei's loud demands to explain himself, he strode up to the short-haired girl. "Tell me," he said, his voice demanding and pleading at the same time, "Tell me that you know where Miyu is."

Nanami stared into his gaze in bewilderment. His eyes looked so pained, and she didn't understand why he was asking her of all the people. They hadn't even spoken ever before. She shook her head, apologetically, "I am sorry, Saionji-kun. I don't know any Miyu."

"YOU'RE LYING!"

Nanami flinched at his sudden cry.

"You're lying!" He turned wildly and was suddenly standing beside Aya's desk. "Konishi, you know. Tell me," he begged, "_tell me!_"

Aya scooted away in fright, shaking her head.

Why, _why,_ why had everyone forgotten her? How could they forget her in a _day?_

Santa stood up from his seat, coming to his best friend's aid. "Kanata, calm down, man. What happened to you?" he asked, his eyebrows wrinkled in worry.

Santa would know. Santa would tell. Santa was his best friend. He wouldn't lie. Gripping his shoulders tightly, Kanata desperately shook his best friend. "Santa, do you… do you remember M-Miyu? She is gone. I can't find her. And there's someone at my house, who looks like my mom. Tell me, Santa, tell me that you remember Miyu. Tell me you haven't forgotten her too…" His voice broke and he couldn't continue. His eyes bore into Santa's, looking lost and helpless and so immensely pained.

Santa stared at his best friend in dismay. What was wrong with Kanata? They didn't know any Miyu. Heck, even _he_ hadn't told him about any Miyu till yesterday. And what was up with his mom? "Kanata," he tried to soothe his friend, "calm down, man. You're not making any sense. Who is this Miyu you're talking about?"

Kanata reared back. Slowly, the look in his eyes turned angry. Betrayed. He stepped back and away from his best friend, from his classmates, shaking his head disbelievingly. This was a ploy. They were hiding the truth from him. Why, he didn't know. But he would find out.

He backed away from Santa and felt around for the door behind him. Thrusting it open, he fled down the corridor and the stairs, heedless of Santa's voice calling after him.

First, he needed to find Miyu. The public library would have records of news articles. Her parents would be in there. He would find them, and he would call them up. He would tell them their daughter was missing. His heart squelched painfully at the word, but he plowed on. They were rich, they would have resources. They would help him look for her. And when he had found Miyu, she would know how to find Ruu. She had been able to do it before when Ruu was kidnapped. And Wanya would definitely be with Ruu.

He stopped, out of breath, at the front desk of the library. The bespectacled librarian looked at him in surprise. He was still in his pajamas, he realized, uncaring.

"Can I help you, young man?" she asked him.

"I need to… to look at newspaper clippings from about a y-year ago…" he wheezed out between gulps of air.

"Take the thirty second aisle, turn left right at the end and you'll find a smaller room branching off to the side. We keep all old newspapers there."

He nodded to her in thanks and set off. The smaller room was full of every Japanese language newspaper ever published. Kanata ran his eyes over the labels in the shelves, looking for the date when Miyu had first moved into his house. He found the shelf towards the back of room, and began pulling bundles upon bundles of newspapers down. They would be in here. Front page article on one of these. He would find her soon enough. Soon enough. Very soon…

He flipped the first newspaper on the stack. Some singer had just tied the knot. He tossed the newspaper away over his shoulder and looked at the next. A Tokyo U student won some national contest. Next. The new model of some motorbike was in the market. Next. Earthquake, somewhere. Next. Relief funds. Next. Prime Minister's speech. Next. Football. Next. Aeroplane. Next. Movie. Next. Car accident. Next. Global warming. Next. Nuclear power. Next. Next. Next. Next. _Next. Next._ _NEXT! NEXT—_

No! No! It wasn't there! It wasn't there! It had to be! Kanata desperately rifled through the strewn papers, clawing at every picture he could find. None of them belonged to a short haired astronaut and her husband. They weren't in here. Why, why? The internet. He would have to try the internet. Even if the library had somehow misplaced that news article, it would still be on the internet.

Leaving the mess of rumpled paper scattered all over the floor and the single table, Kanata raced out of the small room and headed up the aisles towards where he had seen several computers sitting in a row. Sliding into the seat in front of one of them, Kanata brought up the browser and typed in the names of Miyu's parents into the search box.

Heart thudding in his throat, he read the first result that popped up. _"Miki Yamadoshi and Hotaru Kozuki win 400 meter swimming championship in Seika High School."_

They weren't there… Her parents weren't there, or they would have been the top result in the search. He had lost the last chance he had of finding her.

Dazedly, Kanata rose from his seat and staggered to his feet. What was he going to do now? Miyu was gone, really gone… Why didn't he remember where she went? How could she be gone overnight?

He stumbled out of the library, the librarian giving him concerned glances at his drawn face, and stood for a while on the sidewalk, immobile. Where would he go now? Should he return to the temple? Where else would he go? But she wouldn't be there. He couldn't give up now. But where else could he look? He didn't even have Wanya's communicator with him. Maybe she was waiting for him somewhere, watching the communicator, waiting for it to ring? 'I want to see you, Miyu…'

He stepped off the sidewalk.

There was a loud blare of a car's horn.

There was a wild cacophony of screams.

Someone was yelling at someone to get off the road.

There was a screech of tires on asphalt—

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_**Author's note: **I understand that typically, Kanata should be overjoyed to find his mother alive. However, I don't believe that is true. _

_Kanata is not a person who indulges in fantasies or whimsical wishes. For example, in episode 17, even when he hears his father calling for help, he doesn't believe it and he ignores it. Kanata always takes a logical-rational approach to things, unless blatantly proven wrong. While Miyu is quick to trust the supernatural, as evidenced when she suspects Nozumu of being an alien, Kanata is not. Therefore, I believe that Kanata would find it hard to accept that his dead mother is back amongst the living so suddenly._

_In the anime, when he does see his mother in episode 72, he knows that some kind of time traveling magic has been unleashed, and so he is more amenable to meeting his mother. But if the same were to happen suddenly one day, when he wakes up from sleep like any other day, I believe that he will be less susceptible to accept the fact. Hence, his reaction to his mother's presence. Moreover, his known world, Miyu, Ruu, Wanya are gone - pile up the paranoia!_

_Okay, enough ranting~ Please review and let me know what you think~ ^_^  
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	2. And Found?

_**Disclaimer:** I disclaim this disclaimer. The characters do not belong to me. :3_

_**Please read author's note at the end if you do not understand this chappie! **  
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_**And… Found?**_

Kanata jolted awake just as the sky was growing light outside. The house was strangely quiet, and for a moment, his heart clenched in fear. _No…_ Where was the usual chaos of school day mornings? A cold dread began seeping into his chest, as he lay under his warm blanket, unable to move—

There was a loud shriek, and a thunderous pattering of feet, before the rice-paper door to his room slid open and Ruu zoomed in, happily clutching Miyu's school uniform in his hands and shrieking in laughter. "Papa, daa, daa, daaaaaaa!"

Trouncing like an elephant, Miyu skidded into the room behind the flying baby, whining at the top of her lungs, "Ruuuuu-kuuuun! Please give me back my unifoooorm!" She lunged for the giggling bundle of trouble and snagged him in her arms, completely forgetting where she was and ending up in the middle of the only futon in room, smack-dab on top of Kanata.

"Owww…" Miyu whimpered, as the delicate tip of her nose smashed into the prone brunet's chin. She struggled to raise herself without the support of her arms – which were holding the squirming baby – and froze, as she found herself staring _right into a pair of auburn eyes!_ "Eeek! Kanata," she gasped, turning all shades of red, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Miyu…" And Kanata felt a great weight lift from his chest. She was safe. Ruu was safe. And from the frantic blabbering he could hear outside, Wanya was safe too. They were safe, they were here, and he had never been more thankful in his life.

Miyu scrambled off him, trying very hard to hide her blushing face. "S-sorry about that," she stuttered, wanting very much to twiddle her fingers, but they were busy holding an escapist Ruu.

Kanata sat up slowly, never taking his eyes off the girl and the baby, unable to define the emotions that were bubbling up within him – relief foremost, of course, but also happiness, and something he couldn't put a name to, yet…

"Miyu-san, Kanata-san, you'll be late if you don't hurry up!" Wanya burst into the room, shaking his ladle at the two teens.

Miyu looked startled, before her eyes widened and she scampered off, screaming all the way. "We'll be late! We'll be late!"

"You too, Kanata-san!" Wanya said, turning to the brunet, who still sat on his futon.

Kanata looked at the white-brown cat-dog sitter pet, and he thought that he had never truly appreciated this oddity, who had taken to caring for them, like a surrogate mom. _'Mom…'_ He shook his head, pushing the memories from – _when? Was it a dream last night?_ – to the back of his head. It was over now. He was here, he was home. "Thanks, Wanya," he said, feeling a wealth of appreciation for the sitter-pet who so barely received his due.

Wanya was already turning around, no doubt to go and begin packing their bento, and called back, "Don't worry, Kanata-san! After all, I AM the best sitter-pet in the entire planet of Otto!"

Well, he did receive his due, even if it was from his own self…

"Miyu… Ruu… Wanya…" he breathed softly to himself, "I'm home." And yes, he felt he was.

'Just a dream,' he could finally tell himself, 'it was just a dream. It's okay.'

"Kanata?" He heard Miyu calling him, "Are you ready yet? We'll be late!"

"Crap!"

"KANATA!"

"Coming!"

Yes, it was just a dream.

**...**

Hitomi Saionji watched her son, lying so pale and motionless, swathed in a myriad bandages. Every possible medical instrument was hooked up to him, some beeping softly, some spewing out meaningless lines and spikes. None of it mattered. Kanata's eyes were closed.

Outside in the hallway, she could faintly hear the doctor trying to explain to her husband that their son was gone. No, not gone, the doctor said 'only in coma.' The accident with the car had caused a concussion in his head. They didn't know when he would wake up, maybe in a few days, maybe a few months, or maybe…

Absently, she tuned out the doctors sympathetic voice, her eyes, her ears, all her senses on her comatose son. His face was blank, expressionless. What was he thinking in there? What did he see beneath those closed eyelids? She didn't know. Was it dark in there? Was it lonely? Was he lost? Was he looking for her?

For a moment, it appeared to her as if he was smiling. Was he dreaming? A good dream?

Hitomi shook her head. It was impossible. He couldn't have smiled. He couldn't even breathe on his own anymore; a machine was doing it for him. She watched as his chest faintly rose up and down, as the life support system fed him precious oxygen, and she clung to a shred of hope. 'I know you will come back to me, Kanata. I will wait for you. Hurry up, my son.'

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_**Author's note: **__So, the inspiration came to me one day when I was thinking that aliens and ghosts and stuff would only happen in a dream. And then I thought, what if it all IS a dream? What if Miyu dreamed the whole thing up? Or Kanata did? And the other people don't even exist? It was easier to imagine what Kanata would do when he woke up, since we do have an idea of Kanata's life before Miyu came. Since I have no clue of what Miyu's life was like before, where she lived, who were her friends and so on, it would have been difficult to write. So, I decided to let Kanata suffer... :D_

_So, basically the main idea of the story is what if a fourteen year old Kanata went to sleep one night and dreamed up the entire Daa! Daa! Daa! universe in his sleep? (It's possible! People can conjure a dream spanning years in their sleep and remember every vivid detail of it!) And what if he even dreamed up an entire alternate past, where his mother died when he was three and where he was friends with Miyu in their toddler-hood? And it was so very realistic, that during the course of the dream, he believed it was real? More so, because his real life friends appear in the dream too? (Cos we all know that reality does influence dreams sometimes.) And when he woke up in the morning, he is stunned to see that the world is different than what he remembers!_

_Ah! At least he got to resume his dream once he fell into a coma... (Hey! Dreams can be resumed, don't you know? Like Megaupload downloads! :D)  
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_But now, I have decided to stop right there, because proceeding any further will only lead to real tragedy. The only way this can continue is that Kanata wakes up and realizes that Miyu exists only in his dreams - she is fictitious, a figment of his imagination - and from there onwards it will all be angsty as he tries to accept that. So, I feel it's better to leave it as it is. It's easier to assume that he doesn't wake up, and dies one day finally dreaming of a happy life with Miyu._


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